The invention relates to a gaming machine, such as a skilled-stop type gaming machine, or a slot machine, and more particularly, to a gaming machine characterized in determination of occurrence of a win.
There has hitherto been known a gaming machine having a display in which area to be used for displaying a plurality of types of indicias (hereinafter, simply referred to as indicias) are arranged in a matrix pattern, wherein, when predetermined indicias are displayed as a predetermined combination in the display along, e.g., a horizontal line or a diagonal line, the gaming machine enters a status which is advantageous to a player.
The gaming machine of this type determines whether to enter a status advantageous to the player in consideration of two viewpoints: that is, “occurrence of a combination of predetermined symbols” and “positions where the predetermined symbols are stationarily displayed,” in connection with a certain symbol acting as the indicia.
More specifically, a symbol-variable gaming machine (first related art) described in, e.g., Japanese Utility Model No. 3062079, effects setting of “positions where the predetermined symbols are stationarily displayed,” wherein predetermined winning lines have been set beforehand, and one end of each of the winning lines is bent in a slanting direction.
A slot machine described in Japanese Utility Model No. 3056308 (second related art) is directed toward easing the “positions where the predetermined symbols are stationarily displayed” such that an “occurrence of a combination of predetermined symbols” is established so long as identical symbols appear on respective reels, thereby achieving a win regardless of the winning line. A gaming characteristic; that is, the player's expectation, is enhanced by increasing the chance of occurrence of a winning pattern.
As mentioned above, various improvements have been made in order to enhance the gaming characteristic for the player. According to the above-described first related art, a restriction in which predetermined winning lines have been set beforehand has contributed to an increase in the number of winning lines. In the meantime, the player encounters inconvenience of having to memorize winning patterns. Particularly, in the case of a large number of winning lines (BET lines) (6 to 30 lines), the player cannot memorize all the lines. Further, the player also encounters difficulty in intuitively ascertaining, within a short period of time, whether or not a win has arisen. Therefore, complexity of these BET lines is likely to result in a problem of arousing a feeling of repulsion in a player who is playing the game for the first time or a problem of the player being unable to understand the condition and being bewildered.
According to the second related art, the player does not need to memorize the BET lines such as those employed in the first related art; the only requirement is to display the same symbols anywhere on each of the respective reels. When identical symbols are displayed in spaced display regions, the player encounters greater difficulty in intuitively ascertaining, within a short period of time, whether or not a win has arisen, to a degree corresponding to the distance between the symbols. The larger the number of reels, the greater the difficulty. Under the condition that identical symbols must appear on all reels, the player's pleasure is spoiled if the symbol has failed to appear at one display area. Hence, such a condition forms a barrier to further enhancement of the gaming characteristic.